In part three of my (hopefully) 52 part series, Better Know a 2012 Oriole, I take a look at Jim Johnson… the fightin' unusual closer*! * JJ had the lowest strike-out rate in the Majors for any pitcher with more than even one save. "I've spent years arguing that Jim Johnson could be an effective […]

In part two of my (hopefully) 52 part series, Better Know a 2012 Oriole, I take a look at Mark Reynolds… the fightin' judge dread*! * Reynolds' is often referred to as the Sheriff (of Swatingham) and, in Scotland, sheriffs are actually judges. Dread is also what many feel when they see Reynolds out in the […]

In part one of my (hopefully) 52 part series, Better Know a 2012 Oriole, I take a look at Jason Hammel… the fightin' new sinkerballer! "When Dan Duquette traded Jeremy Guthrie to the Rockies for Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom, a lot of Orioles fans were not particularly pleased. "Guthrie's the team's only real starter." […]

"The Orioles offense was not very good in the post-season – that can't be denied. Almost nobody hit, and they only scored 2.5 runs per game (that obviously didn't get it done). One sort of interesting aspect to the playoffs though, was how topsy-turvy everything went for the O's. Down was up, up was down." […]

"Couldn't bring myself to write something up about the Orioles losing Game Five of the ALDS. Instead, a look back (in no particular order) at some favorite memories from 2012, courtesy of O's fans on Twitter: * The best moment of season for me – the one that was the pinnacle of the "is this […]

Raul Ibanez is supposedly a pretty good guy. And yet at this moment there is no one that I hate more. And I don't really hate anybody! Game wrap of the Orioles' ALDS Game Three loss to the Yankees here. Read it or whatever. Drinking and/or crying also acceptable.

As deflating as Game One was, this O's team wasn't one to quit. "Even if tonight's game wasn't literally a must-win, going to New York down 2-0 would have been mighty troublesome for the Orioles. They needed a good start from Wei-Yin Chen, and to actually score some runs against long-time O's nemesis Andy Pettitte." […]

People in Baltimore were flying pretty high, with the O's hosting their first play-off game since 1997. "Orioles. Yankees. The two teams fought until the bitter end for the AL East title, and now square off in the AL Division Series. New York sent ace CC Sabathia to the mound, while the O's countered with […]

Underdogs? "So here they are. The Orioles finally made the play-offs, and they had to travel to Texas to face a team that's beat up on them some this year. They used their best starters trying to win the AL East, leaving them with Joe Saunders as the only really option to take the mound. […]

Though they may be underdogs, the Baltimore Orioles are certainly capable of winning the World Series this year. Five reasons why: “1. No. 1 — and, you could certainly argue numbers two through five as well — is the bullpen. The O’s went 73-0 when leading after the seventh inning. As relievers, Tommy Hunter is […]

With wins by the Yankees and A's yesterday, the Orioles came into this game looking more like they'd need to go on the road for the Wild Card game. Some people were happy about Oakland's win, since it knocked the Rays out of the playoff picture – perhaps making them less motivated and allowing the […]

Things are coming down to the wire, leaving Buck Showalter with some decisions to make as to how to utilize his pitching staff: "The Orioles have clinched a play-off spot. Wow. That feels a little weird to write after the last 14 years (especially given expectations going into this season), but it's true. The team […]

Over at CamdenDepot, I take a look at the players the Orioles lost from their organization from 2011 to 2012, and if any are really to be missed: "Certainly you have to say that a part of the Orioles' success this year can be attributed to some of the players that Dan Duquette brought in […]

I look at how much Manny Machado has contributed to the O's, relative to the alternatives, over at CamdenDepot: Despite his top prospect status, I don't think the expectations for what Manny Machado would do in an Orioles' uniform this season were all that high. With Wilson Betemit on the DL though, the team need a third-baseman and […]